Polyglycerols and their esters have numerous applications. Although at present limited to the foods and cosmetics fields, they are to be extended to petroleum and parapetroleum uses. Thus, the lower derivatives-of polyglycerol esters are biodegradable and easily accessible.
It is easy to chemically produce polyglycerols by the action of sodium hydroxide, e.g. on glycerol. This leads to a mixture of polymers with a degree of polymerization (DP) between 2 and 10.
The problem which arises is that of separating the various members of a mixture of polyglycerols, which requires clearly defined cuts. However, as yet there is no satisfactory way for separating the members or groups of consecutive members in a mixture of polyglycerols.